Folding bed



Feb. 23 1926.

W. CRAMER FOLDING BED F'i'lQd Oct.

12 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet l ,Zndnfor Mi /lam Cramer W (961% & W6

Feb. 23 1926.

w. CRAMER FOLDING BED Filed Oct. 12. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 IIII Patented Feb. 23, 1,926.

i e [T E. STATES? CRAMER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

, nonnnvew BED.

Apphcation filed flotober 12,. 1922.

1" '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GRAMER, a citizen the United States of America, a residentof the city of St. Louis,.in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in: Folding Beds, of which the following. is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming. a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in foldingbedaand more particularly to a bed having foldable end members. One of the objects is to produce a bed. of this kind havmeans whereby the folding motion is transmitted from one end member to another, for exampl from an endboard to a leg, so that the bed can be very easily folded. In the preferred formof the invention, the legs and both endboards are united through the medium of operating mechanism so that the folding motion can be transmitted from any one of these parts to all of the others.

A further object is to produce a simple and effective means for-lockingthe foldable end members.

With the foregoing and. other objects in view, the invention comprises the novel. construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is'shown the preferred.embodimentof the invention. However, it is to be understood that the invention compre hends changes, variations and modifications which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

I is a side elevation showing a portion of a hollow wall and a bed located in a passageway in. the wall, the concealed position of the bed being indicated by dotand dash lines.

FigLII is a vertical sectiontaken approximately on the line IIII in Fig. I.

Fig. III is a horizontal section showing the carriage from which the bedv is sus pended.

Fig. IV is a fragmentary sideelevation showing the lockingv device mounted in the carriage to lock the counterbalancing device. vFig. V is a vertical section showing the 1 legs at oneend of. the bed andportions of the headboard, or footboard, extending upward- 1y from. the legs. I

F1g:.VI is a. side elevation, partly in section, showin approximately one-half of the of the wall.

Serial No. 594,034.

bed, and also showing a portion of the hollow wall in which the bed may be concealed.

Fig. VII is a section taken approximately on the line VIIVII in Fig. VI.

Fig. VIII is an enlarged section taken approximately on the line VIIIVIII in Fig. VI, showing the headboard, or footboard,.i.n. the position it occupies when folded. toward the body of the. bed. Fig. IX is an enlarged side elevation showmg a portion of one of the side rails of the bed, and portion of the means whereby motion may be transmitted from the head to the foot of the bed.

Before describing the bed structure, I will point out the bed: compartment and the movable support whereby the folding bed is carried into and out of" the compartment.

The hollow wall comprises wall members 1 separated from each other to provide a narrow bed compartment between them. A transverse passageway A is formed through the wall, so as to provide communication between the rooms at opposite sides At one of the vertical sides of this passageway, amb members 2 are separated from each other to form'an elongated vertical entrance to the narrow bed compartment in the hollow wall.

3 designates straight horizontal tracks located within the hollow wall and extending from the bed compartment to points above the transverse passageway A in the hollow wall. The bed-supporting carriage comprises a horizontal frame including end mc1nbers 4 connected together by means of bars 5', which are shown most clearly in Fig. III. This carriage is provided with rollers 6 mounted on the tracks 3 to guide the carriage in a straight horizontal line. A shaft 7 is rotatably mounted in the end members dot the carriage, and cams 8 are secured to the ends of this shaft. 9 designates suspension chains depending from the cams 8 and having their lower ends secured to suspension rods 10. The chains 9 are secured to the cams 8 and adapted to engage the peripheral faces thereof. As shown in Fig. II, each chain 9 may pass between guide members 11 and 12. on the carriage, the member 12 being in the form of'a roller.. 13 and 13 designate pivots extending from abed (Figs. I and VI), and secured to the suspension rods 10, as will be hereafterdescribed, to form a pivotal support for the bed.

The counterbalancing device comprises a spring 14 surrounding the shaft 7 (Figs. 1 and HI) and having one of its ends secured to a collar 15, the latter being rigidly secured to the shaft. The other end of the spring is secured to a worm gear 16, loosely mounted on shaft 7 and meshing with a worm 17, said worm being rotatably mounted in bearings extending from one of the end members l, as shown in Figs. 1 and Ill. A vertical stem 18 (Fig. 1), depending fron the worm 17, may be engaged suitable toolto rotate the'worm 17, thereby rotating the worm wh el 16 which is secured to one end of the counterbalance spring The Wheel 16 is loosely mounted on shaft 7, and

it can be thus rotated to vary the tension of spring 1%. This means for adjusting the spring is self-locking for the worm screw 17 can impart mo ion to toe wheel 16, but said wheel cannot impart motion to the screw; 7

Under certain conditions to be hereafter pointed out, it is desirable to prevent rotation of the shaft- 7 to which one end of the spring is secured. The r-Jieans for locking this shaft comprises disk 19, rigidly secured to a shaft (Figs. l, ll and lll) and a bolt 20 adapted to be projected through the disk, the latter having an opening at 21 (Fig. H) to receive the bolt. This bolt is guided by one of the end members 4 and also by a bracket 2:2 extending from a side member 5 of the carriage, as shown in Fig.

III. 23 designates a spring interposed beshaft 7 and the counterbalancing spring The means for unlocking the bolt comprises a bell crank lever 25 (Figs. T and TV) piv otally connected to one of the frame members 5 of the'carriage. said lever having a short arm connected to the boltand long arm connected to a depending operating cord 26 which can be pulled to withdraw the bolt from the disk 19, thereby unlocking the shaft and counterbalance spring. lit will now be understood'that when the opening in the disk 19 registers with the bolt 20, the spring 23 will project the opening, so as to lock the Fig. IV. The worm 16 can then be turned to adjust the counterbalance spring, or if desired, the bed can be disconnected from the carriage, as will be hereafter pointed out.

The bedstead comprises side rails 27". brackets 28 secured to the ends of the side rails, legs 29 in the form] of tubes extending downwardly from the ends of the side rails, and end boards extending upwardly from the legs, one of said boards being a footboard 30 and. the other being a headboard 31. Each leg 29 is rigidly secured to a segmental gear 32 pivoted at to one of bolt through the disk as shown 111 of the bed through the medium of a small lever 35 (Figs. ll, VT and IX) pivoted at 36 to one of the side rails 27 and having its ends pivoted to connecting bars 37. 38 designates pivots connecting the respective bars 37 to gears 32 at opposite ends of the bed, as shown by Figs. H and VT. By means of the connecting device just de scribed and the gears 32 and 34, motion can be transmitted from any one of ti e legs to the other le s and also to the footboard 30 and headboard 31; or, motion can be transmitted from either of these boards to the other board and also to all of the legs. In other worus when any one of these members is foloed orunrolded, a corresponding motron lsnnpartcd to all of the other *nem bers, so as to simultaneously fold or unfold the legs 29 and boards 80 and 31.

l ihen the legs and the boards 30 and 31 are folded, the boards are pressed upon the bed clothes (not shown) to secure the same, and they are locked in their folded positions through the medium of a ratchet device 1 ull own in Figs. V, VT, Vll and VIII. The

brackets 28 adjacent to the footboard 30 are provided with internal ratchet teeth 39 and adapted to be engaged by dogs d0 secured to springs 41:1 arranged within the footboard 30"a1d having their lower ends secured thereto. The free upper end of each spring ll (Figs. V and VT) extendsthrough a bar 42 and these bars are connected together through the medium of an operating lever (Fi V) pivoted to the footboard 30 and hai 'ing its ends pivoted to the respective member 42. This lever can be moved about the axis of its pivot to move the bars from each other. thereby moving g p the prmgs 41 to release the dogs rroni the ratchet teeth la hen the footboard,

headboard and legs are folded, the footboard 8O occupies the approximately horizontal the bed clothes and it is then locked through the medi in of the dogs l0 cooperating with ratchet teeth 39. Since the footboard is connected to the legs and headboard, it will be understood that tie dogs to and ratchet teeth 39 serve as means for looking all of these parts. Before unfolding the parts, the lever 43 (Fig. V) is operated to release the dogs 40.

. The brackets 28 at the ends of side rails l, as shown by Figs. V and VI, and each serve as housings for the segmental gears i lines.

of these housings is open at the'top and provided with a closure 44: adapted to move from the position shown by full l nes in Fig. VI to the position shown by dot and dash In this view it will be noted that the closure 14 is pivoted at 15 to the footboard 30, and that its lower edge is movable over the lower portion of bracket 28 in response .to the folding and unfolding motions of the footboard.

Vi e will now describe the means whereby the footboard, headboard and legs are locked when: the bed is unfolded and supported on the floor. The footboard 30 comprises a pair of tubular side members (Figs. V and VI) alined with the legs 29 immediately be- M neath the same. 46 designates locking arms,

each having a locking head 4C6 arranged partly within the upper end of a leg 29 and partly within thelower end of footboard 30. Each locking arm 16 is pivoted to a bracket secured to one of the side rails 27,. as shown in Fi VI. Each le 29 at the foot of the bed contains a vertical, slidable locking rod 4E7 having its upper end engaged with a locking arm 46 and provided with a caster at its lower end. I'Vhen the parts are positioned as shown in Figs. V and VI, the foot of the bed is supported on the casters at the lower ends of rods 47, and the load is t ansmitte d through these rods to the casters. It willtherefore be understood that the rod 17 cooperate with locking arms 1-6 to retain the heads 46 in the lower ends of the footboard, 30, and the heads 46 then cooperate with the footboard to re tain the-legs, footboard and headboard in their upright positions. In Fig. VI, note that the footboard is pivoted at 35, and that the head at)" prevents the footboard from moving about the axis of the pivot.

When the bed is lifted from thefioor, the locking arms 46 drop by gravity to release the locking heads 46 from the footboard, hereby unlocking the footboard, as well as the headboard and legs, these parts of the bed being operatively connected together, as previously pointed out.

The bed is pivotally connected to the horizontally movable carriage through the medium of pivots 13 and 13 extending through the lower ends of suspension rods 10, and the pivots are located approximately midway between the ends of the bed so as to approximately equalize the weight at opposite sides of the pivots. The

counterbalance spring 14 tends to rotate the shaft 7 and its cams 8 on which the suspension chains 9 are mounted, and the power transmitted from the spring tends to lift the bed. Consequently, the bed can be very readily lifted from the floor, and when the pivots 1313 are high enough, the bed can be easily moved in an arc of a circle about the axis of the pivots to a vertical position in alinement with the bed compartment in the hollow wall, as shown by dot and dash lines in Fig. II. The bed is then alined with the narrow entrance to the bed compartment, and since it is supported by the horizontally movable carriage, it can be easily moved in a horizontal line parallel with the axis of its pivots 13, so as to pass into the bed CODIPZUUHQIIJE.

hen the bed is located in the horizontal position shown by full lines in Fig. II, it lies partly within the transverse passageway in the wall and partly within the two rooms at opposite sides of the passageway. However, the bed can be readily disconnected from its suspension members and moved on its casters to any desired position in either of the rooms.

To disconnect the bed, it is necessary to lock the counterbalancing device,=and this requires an excess downward movement of one of the suspension members. VI and VII, I8 designates a lever pivoted at 49 to a wing 50 secured to one of the side rails 27, and the pivot 13 extends from this lever. After the bed is supported on the floor, the lever 48 is moved downwardly to impart a downward movement to the suspension rod 10 above the pivot 13, thereby imparting motion to the shaft 7 and its locking disk 19 so as to aline the opening in said disk with the spring-pressed locking bolt 20. The bolt then enters the opening in the disk so as to lock the shaft and the counter-balance spring. The suspension rods 10 then-hang loosely from the overhead carriage and they can be readily removed from the pivots l3 and 13, so as to disconnect the bed from the carriage. In restoring the bed, the suspension members 10 are applied to the pivots and the lever 4:8 is again moved downwardly to eliminate friction between the locking bolt 20 and disk 19. The cord 26 is then pulled to withdraw the locking bolt 20 from the disk, thereby permitting the counterbalancing device to ac; upon the bed.

The counterbalancing spring let is wound and unwound in response to vertical movements of the bed, and during the unwinding operation the force of the spring gradually becomes weaker. To compensate "for these variations in the spring, the peripheral faces of cams 8 (Figs. II and III) are so formed that the lines of contact between the sus pension chains and the cams gradually approach the axis of shaft 7 when the bed is moved upwardly. By winding the chains onto cams in this manner, the effect of the counter-balancing device is to approximately balance the weight of the bed when the latter is located at different elevations relative to the floor.

Closure plates and G1 are secured to the respective ends of the carriage by means of In Figs.

depending brackets 62, as shown in Figs. I

and II. When the bed occupies its concealed.

position, the vertical plate closes the entrance to thebed compartment, and when the bed is exposed this entrance is closed by the. plate 61. V

The lever i8 is normally locked to the bed as'shown by Figs. VI and VII, a small looking lever 63 being pivoted to said lever 4L8 and provided'witha locking pin 64E adapted to be projected through the wing 50. 65 designates a s )ring VII) acting upon lever '63 to yieldingly retain the locking pin 64 in the wing 50. Before detaching the bed, the small lever 63 is actuated to unlock the lever 4-8, and the latter is then moved downwardly relative tothe bed, so as to lock theconnterbalancing device, as previously pointed out.

I claim:

i. In a folding bed, a bedstead provided with a foldable leg depending from and entirely supported by he bed, a locking mem ber adapted to hold said leg in its unfolded position, and a bed-supporting device cooperating withjsaid locking member to retain the latter in its operative position.

2. In a folding bed, a bedstead provided with a foldable leg depending from and en tirely supported by the bed, a locking member adapted to hold said leg in its unfolded position, and a" bed-supporting device cooperating with said locking member to retain the latter-in its operative position, said bed-supporting device comprising a caster below said leg, and a thrust member extending from said caster to said locking member.

In a foldingbed, a bedstead provided with a pivotally mounted hollow foldableleg depending from and entirely supported by the bed, a pivotally supported locking mem ber located adjacent to the upper end of said leg to lock the same in its unfolded position, said locking member being adapted to drop by gravity from its operative position, and a bed-supporting device cooperating- With said locking member to retain the 1-. In a folding bed, a bedstead compris in g side members, brackets at the ends of said side members, endboards plvotally mounted in said brackets, said brackets having openings at the top to permitpivotal movement of said endboards, and movable closures for said openings, said closures bemovable with the respective endboards. 5. In a folding bed, a bedstead comprising side members, brackets at the ends of said side members, endboards pivotally mounted in said brackets, said brackets having openings at the top to permit pivotal movement of said endboards, and movable closures for said openings, said closures being pivotally connected to the respective endboards so as to move along the brackets in response to movements of said endboards.

6. In a folding bed, a bedstead comprising a frame extending from end to end of the bed, pairs of foldable legs pivoted to said frame, a foldable footboard pivoted to said frame, a foldable headboard pivoted to said frame, operating connections whereby the folding motion is tra-nsmitted from one of said foldable parts to all of the others, automatic locking means cooperable with one of said foldahle parts to automatically and simultaneously look all of said foldable parts in their folded positions, an additional auton'iatic'locl-zing means whereby all of said foldable parts are automatically and simul taneously locked in their unfolded positions, the last mentioned automatic locking means being actuated by the weight of the bed itself, so asto automatically lock the foldable parts when the bed is in service, and a manually controlled member whereby the first mentioned automatic locking means is released.

In testimony that .I claim the foregoing I hereunto my signature.

IVILLIAM ORAMER. 

